It's over a week past Pesach and I wanted to write
to you about our chag. Firstly, the lead-up to Pesach was difficult
in that there was a lot to clean and a lot to organise. Funnily enough,
we managed to get our home Pesachdic in time to have a Pesachdic Shabbos
two days before Pesach itself! There is definitely no shortage of
food in Israel pre and during Pesach. About two weeks before the Chag,
the supermarkets empty out and clean out at least one isle, sometimes
two, and begin to stock them with all the Pesach stuff. It was difficult
to know which isles were for Pesach and which weren't because there
was such an abundance of food - and many were the same products as
for during the year, so in many cases there was no need to change
brands etc. Of course, the supermarkets close to our place stocked
only badatz and mehadrin hechsheirim, although you really had to read
the packets carefully to ensure you weren't buying kitnios. The meat
department and frozen meats were all kosher l'pesach weeks ago and
they were also very well stocked. There was a large array of ice-creams
and desserts as well as piles and piles and piles of matzoh. We bought
only machine made shmura matzoh for the whole of Pesach. My shule
organised a matzoh-baking at a local matzoh baking factory. For a
fee you can bake your own matzohs while their maschgiach supervises.
Rabbi Rubanowitz was also supervising and many of the menfolk from
the shul formed a "chaburah" (group) to go and bake. The
shule made a few dollars out of it but not much. I was the local seller
for my area. I sold a few boxes of matzah meal and one or two boxes
of matzah. We also bought a box.
We were to have the Seder at Leah and Ben's apartment in Neve Yaakov,
Jerusalem. We took a bus from RBS to the central bus station and then
a taxi to Neve Yaakov. It was really fun trying to get a large suitcase,
double pram and 4 kids into this taxi, but somehow we managed it.
We arrived at Leah and Ben's in good time and Ben walked us to the
apartment we were to be staying in over the Yom Tov. The family was
just leaving as we got there so we got to thank our hosts in person.
They were also going away for Seder night. In fact, the people they
were staying at over Yom Tov had decided to stay away an extra day.
This meant that our hosts also took an extra day to stay away, enabling
us to stay an extra night in Neve Yaakov (otherwise known as the Butterfly
Effect!) The apartment we stayed in was situated just behind the tripple
level shule that Leah and Ben used to leve near (on Kfar Ivri). There
was a nice walk down to their new place. It takes about 7 minutes
to walk to their place, but the way back up that hill takes 15! I
went to the mikvah prior to Yom Tov, as is the custom, and I was very
interested to see that it is a highly organised operation. They have
an electronic turnstyle. There is a box into which you put your payment,
press a button and that releases the floor-to-ceiling turnstyle so
that you can enter - very hi-tec. There are about 15 showers and three
large mikvaos. Nothing like the little mikvah at the Gerrer Shteible
in Carrington Grove!
I went back up to the place we were staying and helped Leah bring
the kids and our stuff down to the Simmons'. I then headed off across
the road to a little shule for Maariv. From the outside the shule
looks a bit like a ramshackle old shed. But inside it is very comfortable.
Although there were about 50 men, we barely got a minyan as most of
them had already davened Mincha. I think they left home early to get
away from the last minute rush! There was quite a long break between
Mincha and Maariv during which time I picked up a really interesting
sefer on the halachos of the seder night (in Hebrew) and learned through
it with Ben who had come at the tail-end of Mincha (he already davened
at an earlier minyan). Maariv was lead by a very inspiring baal-tefiloh
(chazan) whose davening was full of kavanah. By this time the small
shule was full and there was barely a seat left. There is a minhag
to hurry home after shule to begin the seder as soon as possible.
We tried, but as soon as we had got a little bit of speed up, we were
back at the Simmons' already!
The table was set, the candles were lit and the kids were playing
happily on the floor...then this one needed a change and that one
needed a bottle and the other one needed the bathroom - and *then*
we got started! Binyomin was seated royally at the head of the table.
I sat to his left, next to me sat Shimi, Leah K was at the other end
of the table next to Racheli, then Zvi, Moishe Simcha and Leah S,
to Ben's right. Both Ben and I were privaliged to be seated on real
couches with pillows and cushions. It really added to the flavour
of the seder to actually recline on a couch, as one should (if one
has the room). We began the seder and Ben was armed with lollies for
kids who asked good questions or those who answered difficult questions.
My kids were not shy and had come prepared with plenty of thought
provoking questions. At times they gave Ben and I a run for our money
(or toffees). Each child had a turn at saying the Ma Nishtanah and
even though getting through that section took a while, it was very
cute! Ben ran the seder like a true professional, even though it was
the first seder he has hosted. I also had my "shtik". When
it came time for Avadim Hayinu, I pulled out a poster I had prepared
earlier (on Grace Removals butcher paper!) I printed off a picture
of Zvi, Shimi, Racheli, Akiva Meir, Ben, and one of myself and Aba.
I cut the bodies off the photos, leaving only the heads and drew cariacatures
of the bodies with captions. For example, I had a picture of Zvi from
his first day at Yesodei HaTorah, carrying a backpack . The caption
was something like, "The Mitzrim made me carry this really heavy
bag all day for no reason!" The idea was to put our faces on
the faces of slaves in Mitzrayim - in other words, this may have been
what it was like for us in Egypt (and if Hashem hadn't redeemed us,
we would still be there so it *could* have been us!). My next shtick
was a bit more dramatic. After we read about the ten plagues, I announced
that I was feeling a bit thirsty. I pulled out a plastic cup and very
dramatically poured a glass of water. As soon as the water hit the
bottom of the cup, it turned blood red! The kids were completely amazed
and I announced that I must be an Egyptian! Prior to Yom Tov I taped
a piece of masking tape around the bottom of a clear plastic cup to
conceal about an inch of red food colouring at the bottom of the cup.
I now know what the plague of locusts must have been like because
the kids "bugged" me all night asking me how I did it! Shimi
wanted to pour the red water (symbolizing blood) into another cup
to see if it would change back (like the midrash says it would for
a Jew) but I wouldn't let him! The mystery remains!
The rest of the reading of the Hagaddah was really nice with each
adult having a turn at reading. The kids asked questions and Ben regailed
us with wonderful divrei Torah. In fact, he positioned his shtender
with various seforim on it in such a way that he was reclining most
of the time (except for those parts where it is not permitted to recline,
like during Marror). We ate hand-shmurrah matzah during the whole
seder and Leah S prepared an excellent meal. Leah K made the kneidelach
(together with Racheli) out of shmurah matzah meal and they turned
out absolutely delicious. The kids stole the afikoman and hid it shortly
before they dropped off to sleep, one by one! Leah managed to find
it under the kitchen table - phew! The rest of the seder went smoothly
and we sung all of the songs in the tunes that Ben's family uses.
I sort of missed the tunes that we used to sing, but it was nice to
learn new tunes.
We finished the seder at about 1.15am, schlepped the kids back up
the hill and plonked into bed...
I awoke on time for shule - which was surprising - and davened with
Binyomin at the Scheinberg shule not far from his home. I always like
davening there. After shule I walked back to my family and helped
Leah bring them all down to Leah and Ben's for lunch. We went back
to the apartment and shluffed most of the afternoon. Our hosts have
a nice library so I learned a bit before heading off for Mincha and
Maariv. Since Yom Tov was only one day, we decided to spend the following
day (first day Chol Hamoed) in the Old City of Jerusalem. There was
an exhibition that I was plutzing to see and I wanted to take the
kids, Zvi in particular, to see it. Sometime in the early afternoon
we managed to get ourselves together and we caught a taxi from Leah
and Ben's to the Old City. The police had blocked off many roads for
security reasons and there were major traffic jams everywhere. Our
driver dropped us off not far from Jaffa Gate and the walk to the
Old City was very pleasant - the cars were stationery but we were
moving! It was incredible to see so many people walking through those
ancient archways. There is a big mezuzah on the post of the Jaffa
gate and all the kids wanted to kiss it. We walked past the ancient
Tower of David, and wound our way into the Jewish Quarter along with
hundreds and hundreds of other people. I had been learning Mishnayos
Chagiga with Zvi, all about the Karbanos we bring in the Beis Hamikdash
on Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos. I had explained to him that people
converged on Jerusalem on those three occasions. Now I could actually
show him what it must have felt like! The Old City was chock-a-block
full of people. I told Zvi to close his eyes and imagine that all
these people were buying and selling cattle for Karbanos - I think
that it made an impact on him. We made a bee-line for the exhibition
I was hoping to see - it's an exhibition put on by The Temple Institute,
which is an organisation that researches and builds replicas, scale
models and usable vessels for the Third Beis Hamikdash. It was an
incredible exhibition. There was a scale model of the Second Temple
with marvellous detail and miniature people (this fascinated the boys
for ages). We saw: the incence altar, the Kohen Gadol's vestments,
the silver trumpets, the harps, the engraved "plates" for
the lot they drew for the two goats on Yom Kippur (one for a korban
"l'Hashem"and the other "l'azazel"), a miniature
scale model of the Holy Ark, a preserved "chilazon" (sea
creature used to make the blue dye "techeiles") and, most
impressively, a life-size model of the Shulchan (the special table
for the show-bread). Disappointingly, the Menora was at a different
location and we couldn't see it. One of the most thought provoking
aspects of the exhibition were the numerous paintings displayed depicting
the many different services performed in the Beis Hamikdash. They
were halachically accurate and gave one a sense of having been there
during those times. I left with a feeling that the redemption is around
the corner. At least, it was enough for us to buy a book about the
Kotel from the gift shop!
We then wound our way down to the Kotel itself, with a new perspective
and sense of what the Beis Hamikdash stood for. We were very surprised
to see that there were a number of shops open that one would have
thought should have been closed on Pesach - like a bagel place! Apparently
they had kashered for Pesach, but I wouldn't have eaten from there
just because it's a bagel place! We also noticed that there were a
number of products being sold that were not Kosher for Pesach, which
really surprised me. It was very disappointing to see - especially
since many people would have been unaware that they might be eating
chometz.
The Kotel area, as predicted, was absolutely jam-packed with people.
I managed to find a minyan that was starting Mincha and davened *near*
the Wall, but without being able to get too close. After Mincha I
went to our pre-assigned meeting spot, told Leah that Akiva Meir had
a meeting and took him to the Wall. I wanted to introduce him to the
Kotel (it's ok, he had a clean nappy!) I managed to find a squishy
spot to squeeze into and touched Akiva Meir's hand to the wall and
then to his lips. I said a few silent prayers and then made way for
someone else to have a go. Akiva Meir was quiet the whole time and
his eyes were wide with wonderment. I know why. Apparently babies
to the age of 3 (or until they can speak, I can't remember) can see
angels - which explains why Akiva Meir can lie there and smile at
the white ceiling! With all those people davening at the Kotel, how
many angels must there have been flying up to Shamayim to deliver
the prayers???
Due to the Wakif's (Moslem religious authority on the Mount) illegal
digging on the Temple Mount, a part of a wall perpendicular to the
Kotel had collapsed a few months ago. For safety reasons half of the
ladies' section was fenced off. This meant that there was even less
room for the ladies than usual. Leah tried to get to the Wall but
told me afterwards that there was a wall of women 50 deep! She said
some tefillos from as close as she could get.
It was soon getting dark and we decided to head off back to the Simmons'.
We left the Old City via the Dung Gate and walked along the outside
of the Old City walls. The hill kept going up and up and up seemingly
without end until we reached its crest after about 15 minutes. The
walk became easier as we headed downwards towards a junction. There
we had a choice - "walk" the pram up about 150,000 stairs
to Yemin Moshe / King David Street and try to catch a taxi there (which
would have been pretty easy), or cross a very busy street and try
to hail a passing cab. We opted for the second option and managed
to wave down a taxi who took us out of the exceedingly busy area and
into the peace and tranquility of Neve Yaakov and the Simmons family
home. We stayed with the Simmons' that night and headed off for Ramat
Beit Shemesh the next day.
It was a mad dash. The deadline was looming and we had a very tight
schedule. We had to be back at our apartment by 10.30, change the
kids' clothes, pack a picnic lunch and be at the bus by 11.00am. We
made it - just. My shule, Shivtei Yeshurun, had organised a picnic
and we had booked seats on the charter bus. We were the last to pile
onto the bus minutes before departure. The bus was quite full, which
was a good indication that the planned itinerary was a good choice.
The first announcement that the President of the shule made shortly
after we left the RBS area was that the itinerary had changed! Our
first stop was "The Hidden Cave". It took about 20 minutes
to get there, but the most exciting thing was seeing an old purple
bus that someone had converted into a roadside diner. The kids have
a story called "The double-decker purple shule bus". OK,
it wasn't double decker and the Coke signs on it probably meant that
it wasn't a shule bus, but it definately was purple. But I digress...In
any case, we arrived at a parking lot that was full of cars. We all
disembarked and stood near the bus for a few minutes while we all
got organised with prams and bottled water etc. We all trudged up
the initial steep unpaved incline, taxing our prams' structural integrity
to the maximum...and then the path levelled out and we continued a
leisurely stroll for about five minutes. On the way, I detoured off
the path towards a spot overlooking a beautiful valley. I asked the
kids what they saw. They answered that they saw trees, grass, clouds,
hills etc. I asked Leah what she saw and she said that she saw paths
and rocks, birds and blue sky. I told them what I saw - the beauty
of Eretz Israel! Looking out there across the valley, you could see
the wonderous beauty of the Land. Sure, it was made up of trees and
rocks and grass, but put it all together and it was one breathtaking
vista. I paused for effect and Racheli offered her take on things,
"Snakes eat people, yeah, Aba?" That sort of ruined the
moment! We rejoined the group and stopped at the entrance to the hidden
cave.
The cave really was hidden, aside from the large sign and arrow pointing
to "THE HIDDEN CAVE"! There were two parts to the cave.
One part was an entrance about one meter high by half a meter across
with four steps going down into an underground chamber. The chamber
was about five meters wide and the roof was just less than two meters
high. There was a lookout onto the second part of the cave. From the
outside all you saw was the top third of a tree. It was growing from
inside of a deep pit. Stairs lead down into the pit and there was
another hidden entrance about half the size of the smaller one. I
didn't venture in, but apparently that small entrance lead to another
chamber deeper underground which lead to more tunnels deeper under
the rock. The parks authority placed reflectors inside the cave so
that if you took a flashlight in with you, you could get out again!
The exit was into the main chamber, about ten meters away in a straight
line. The main chamber (from where the tree was growing) was very
deep. Here is the story of the cave: During the time of the Bar Kochba
rebellion against the Romans, the Jews used natural caves like this
one as hiding places. According to our Rabbi (who was acting as tour
guide) there are hundreds of caves in that area which are similar
to this one. Of course, during the time of the Bar Kochba rebellion
the caves were well hidden by large stones over the entrances (and
I don't think the tree was there, either). The exit from the inner
cave was to the deep pit with the tree growing from it. That pit was
actually a well. The Jews dug down and found subterranean water and
they also fashioned "skylights" which were covered by boulders.
The boulders were removed to let water in when it rained. You could
still see the ancient steps they used and the blocks of stone they
carved for chairs and tables. The first chamber that I described was
the lookout post. From there you could see through tiny cracks in
the stone of the outer wall. That chamber was also large enough to
store weapons and it was a quick route to the outside in case of emergency.
After a while climbing through the caves we headed back to the bus
for the next stop: a picnic and farm. We arrived at the farm after
only 10 minutes and on the way we saw a flower farm - the field was
divided into sections and each section had a different coloured flower
so it looked like a quilt of colours. The bus parked and we unloaded
our picnic things and walked towards a manicured garden overlooking
rolling hills as far as the eye could see. There was a reception hall
with a 360 degree view of the countryside. We found a nice shady spot
under a tree and ate our picnic of matzah and spreads (which is what
most people had - what else can you eat on a picnic during Pesach??!)
I was wondering why they called this a "farm" until we were
nearly overrun by three dogs who had some sort of craving for Matzah!
After our meal an announcement was made that those who would like
to go horseriding should meet right away at a certain point. I hadn't
signed up for horseriding as it was a little more than our budget
allowed, but I took the boys for a walk around the barns which were
not too far away. In the meantime, Leah was having her own adventure
with Racheli, which I will talk about shortly. The farm had about
50 horses which they bred for various reasons. I happened to overhear
one of the farmers negotiating the sale of a pony with a prospect.
The going rate for a pony is somewhere in the vicinity of 5,000-6,000
shekels. I wonder if the rental contract for our apartment says anything
about horses? They also had a large barn with goats and sheep. But
the kids mostly loved to watch the horses and the tourists riding
them.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Leah had to change Racheli. She also
had Akiva Meir with her in the pram. The dogs were scaring Racheli
and so she decided to go inside to change her. Unfortunately the side-by-side
double stroller got firmly wedged in the doorway and she couldn't
budge it. Finally she pushed the stroller back outside and carried
the two children inside, one by one. Meantime, the dogs who were terrorising
Racheli (actually, they were very friendly, but big, and Racheli was
scared of them because they kept sniffing her!) managed to sneak inside
and made it impossible for her to change Racheli. Leah put Racheli
onto a table and had a terrible time chasing the dogs outside. By
the time she managed to change her, it was time to board the bus.
I managed to take Racheli on a whirlwind tour of the farm, race back
to the bus and load up the pram and bags without leaving anyone or
anything behind. All the while Racheli kept reassuring herself that
dogs don't go on busses.
The following day, Leah's cousins came around for a visit. Michael,
married to Betty, is Dodda Chava Morris' son. Their children, Ana
and Rony, have met our children before, but my kids didn't speak Hebrew
at the time and they don't speak English. It was a bit better this
time as the children could communicate, but I think it will take a
few more meetings until they warm up to eachother. They spent quite
a while colouring in together, which was nice. It was very nice to
see Michael, Betty and the kids, but we were only sorry that Dodda
Chava couldn't join us. It would have been nice to have a large "family
day".
Anton managed to arrive from Tzfas on time to spend time with Michael
and Betty. We had a wonderful lunch (including Leah's marvellous chremslach).
After Michael and Betty left, Anton remained and joined us for the
last day of Pesach. It was a great end to the chag and over the week
we managed to consume most of the Matzah that I bought. After Yom
Tov, I made Aba's famous Matza Brai, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.
And why wouldn't they? After all, I learned the recipe from The Master!
Anton stayed on a couple of days and then headed back to Tzfat. I
managed to get all the Pesach dishes put away and we were back to
full chometz dishes within about a day. The kids went back to school
two days after the chag and they are now back into the swing of regular
daily life.